


Falling

by OZLelila (ozlelila)



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Beast Boy - Freeform, Comics, F/M, Raven - Freeform, RobStar, Romance, Teen Titans - Freeform, cyborg, dcu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-09-19
Updated: 2010-10-02
Packaged: 2017-10-12 00:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/119008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozlelila/pseuds/OZLelila
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin and Starfire have finally found their way to each other. What bumps will they encounter along the way? And what does this strange creature terrorizing the town have to do with it? RobStar Romance with some action</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adrenaline Rush

**Author's Note:**

> This is my masterpiece (so far). I'm very proud of it, so I thought I'd post it at this forum as well. Lots more chapters to come!

Robin had never been afraid of falling, and through his training first as an acrobat and later to fight crime, he had become very good at controlling how he fell, and more importantly, how he landed. But since he’d joined the Titans, he’d actually come to enjoy falling, even anticipated it. Occasionally he even jumped. He always knew that as long as one of his teammates saw him, he wouldn’t land, he’d be caught. It was as close to flying as he ever really got.

How he was caught really depended on who did the catching. When Beast Boy caught him, he could be grasped by the shoulders by a pterosaur or land unceremoniously on the back of an elephant or be caught by the arms of a gorilla. It was always a surprise, and not always a pleasant one. When Raven caught him, he was usually encased in a sphere of her magic, and he would float to the ground like a soap-bubble. The first few times it happened, it had taken him nearly a full minute to get his bearings back, having been stopped mid-fall. He still found it rather disconcerting.

He liked it best when Starfire caught him. She would either scoop him up in her arms, or, more often, simply grasp his hand and pull him along. He loved the feeling of flying through the air with her, being able to survey the scene from above. His adrenaline would rise and he always landed more energized and re-focused on the fight.

They had practiced such catches in training of course, with all of his teammates. He realized at one point that he had unconsciously scheduled more of these practices with Starfire than with his other teammates that could fly. He hadn’t dwelled on it too much at the time; he simply scheduled more time with Raven and Beast Boy. But in the time since then, he had pondered it. He realized that it was because he’d liked the excuse to hold her hand, or to wrap his arms around her.

Not that he needed an excuse; Starfire was very affectionate. She hugged and kissed all of them whenever she got the chance. But then, she hugged and kissed Silkie, her pet caterpillar, too. They all endured it with a sense of humor, knowing she was just expressing her exuberant friendship for them.

But Robin had realized early on that when she hugged him, he, at least, was feeling something more than friendship for her. He would feel his heart start to race and his head get muzzy. He’d tried to deny it; tried to push his feelings aside and concentrate on his work, his training. He thought he’d been succeeding too, until they’d been stranded together on that strange planet not so long ago.

Shortly before that ill-fated mission, Cyborg had made an off-hand comment about Starfire being Robin’s girlfriend. Robin had denied it in front of Starfire, and had snapped at her during the flight to the planet. He and Starfire had spent most of the time while they wandered the planet looking for their teammates not exactly arguing, but trying to figure out exactly what his intentions toward her were. While he wasn’t sure they came to any conclusions other than the fact that she was his best friend and he cared a lot about her, their relationship had definitely changed after that.

He had allowed her to be more affectionate with him, even privately looked forward to her holding his hand and snuggling close to him on the couch. His reciprocations had been measured and rare, never even allowing himself to kiss her cheeks, much less her lips, and he had made no concession to her being his “friend who is a girl,” as she put it. For one, he really didn’t want the other Titans in on whatever it was he felt for her, because he wasn’t really sure himself what that was. And perhaps more importantly, he didn’t want to lose control. He had no real “powers;” what made him a “superhero” was his control, over his body, and his emotions.

But alone in his room, away from being the leader of the Teen Titans, away from Starfire’s affections, in the rare place and time when allowed himself to be just a teenage boy, he pondered and even stressed over his feelings for his alien teammate. If it was love, hell, even if it was just lust, he didn’t know how to deal with it. He had no experience with either emotion, and certainly no training on what to do when he felt that way.

But he wasn’t pondering any of that now. In fact, it was the furthest thing from his mind. Right now, he and the other Titans were battling some huge bear-like creature that seemed intent on destroying downtown. Whether it was a mutant, an alien, or some combination thereof was not Robin’s problem at this moment. He would research that later. For the present, the only thing on Robin’s mind was disabling or capturing the creature.

At this precise moment, he stood at the ready in the middle of the road, watching as Beast Boy, morphed into a T-Rex, tried to grapple with the thing. He was thrown to the side, morphing into a humming bird in mid-flight before landing on the hood of a car to morph back into his human form to regroup. Starfire blasted it with several starbolts just as Raven dropped a large piece of concrete from a damaged building onto its head. This just seemed to make it angrier.

Finally deciding to act, Robin flung an expanding net at it. Right on cue, Cyborg blasted it with his sonic cannon. The net found its target, over the creature’s snout. The sonic blast seemed to really affect it, as it grabbed its ears and stumbled toward the building Robin was standing in front of. The structure had a decorative arch and a roofed canopy in front of its main doorway. The Titans stood back to see what would happen as the creature tripped into the arch. It roared, tore the net from its face, then extended wings from its back from beneath a flap of fur, and flew off toward the nearby forested hills.

Robin immediately decided to follow the thing, yelling, “Titans, go!” as he took off at a dead run toward his R-Cycle, which was parked nearby. Paying too much attention to his mission and not enough to his surroundings was a mistake that Robin rarely made. But he made it today. The next moments were a blur as he heard Starfire shout “Robin!” and felt her fly into his solar plexus. They tumbled end over end, stopping under a pile of debris, Robin lying atop of Starfire, his face pressed to hers.

His heart already pounding and the adrenaline already in his veins, his breath gone from Starfire’s impact, and with the smell of her hair suddenly in his nostrils and the touch of her skin igniting his nerves, Robin acted on instinct to do what his senses were telling him: he moved his head up slightly and crushed his lips to hers.

In that moment, everything went away: the creature’s threat to the town, the fate of their other teammates, even the pile of rubble they were beneath. The only thing that existed in that moment was Starfire and his need for her. He let his weight fall against her and gripped her shoulders, leaving marks on her bare skin. He wanted to swallow her, to be inside of her, to somehow meld himself to her. She was eagerly returning the kiss, and had already opened her lips to him. He followed suit, sucking her tongue into his mouth and quickly moving on to nibble her lower lip and jaw.

Starfire, whose arms had been around him in her rescue of him, crept her hands up his back and into his hair. Robin was very aware of this, and it only served to further his frenzied affections for her. What he was not aware of was the fact that they had floated several inches above the ground. He shifted his weight to get a better grip on her, and that caused them to roll over. Robin did not come out of his reverie until he fell to the concrete, his lips losing contact with her skin.

“Robin,” Starfire inquired, out of breath. “You are unhurt?”

Robin took several deep breaths, trying to clear his head. “I think so.” He studied her face in the dim light streaming in through the cracks in the debris. She was so beautiful…wait a minute…cracks in the debris? He snapped back to reality. “Starfire, what happened?” He attempted to sit up.

“I believe you kissed me.” She beamed.

Robin managed an embarrassed smile in return. “Yes…we’ll have to talk about that. But I meant the building.” He gestured to the concrete surrounding them.

Starfire lowered herself to crouch beside him in the small dome. “It appears that we have been trapped beneath the arch. I saw it beginning to fall, and I attempted to remove you from its path, but I regret I could not.”

He put his hand on her arm, making a horrified note of the marks he had left on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Star. We’re both unhurt, so you succeeded in that. Do you think you can get us out of here?”

She beamed at him again. “I shall attempt it.”

Starfire gathered her legs under her, and was about to try to push one of the stones above them out of the way, but before she could make any real effort, the stone beside it suddenly turned black and floated aside. Raven appeared in the opening. “You two okay?” she asked as the two of them picked their way out of the crushed arch.

“No worse for wear,” Robin reported. “What happened to the creature?”

“It escaped into the forest. Cyborg and Beast Boy have gone after it; I told them we would follow once I got you two out.”

“Then let’s go!” Robin started toward his T-Cycle as Raven gave a nod and flew off in the direction of the hills.

“If I may, Robin,” Starfire started. Robin pivoted back on his heel to look at her, a “Not now, Star” poised on his lips, but dying there as she continued. “The hills are very steep, and I believe your R-Cycle will be of little use in the forest. Perhaps you could fly with me?” She held out her hand to him.

As much as Robin wanted to sort out his feelings at the moment, or put them aside and deal with them later, she did have a point. With just a moment’s hesitation, he put his hand in hers. “Let’s fly.”

 _Typical disclaimer: DC Comics characters aren't mine.  Darn._


	2. Star and Fire Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team follows the creature into the woods and winds up camping overnight. What happens when Robin and Starfire have a little alone time?

Robin dangled from Starfire’s hands as they flew toward the hills. He wasn’t terribly fond of flying this way; he felt very exposed. But Starfire’s grip was strong, and he had no fear of falling.

The forested hills were perhaps a mile from where they had left downtown. Robin could see Raven around a hundred yards ahead of them, and far in the distance, the green flapping of Beast Boy’s pterosaur wings.

Robin tried to focus on the mission, to form some sort of plan to disable the creature and what to do with it once they did. But ideas were fleeting; his thoughts kept going back to the passionate kiss he had shared with Starfire such a short time ago. Part of him wanted to forget it happened, but he knew Starfire wouldn’t let him do that. And perhaps that was for the best; perhaps his hormone-induced rashness was just the push he needed to own up to his feelings.

The crack of Cyborg’s sonic cannon snapped Robin from his reverie, and Starfire accelerated to join the rest of the team. Robin tried to hold himself steady, but the increased speed caused him to whip around a bit like a flag on an antenna. He was very grateful to find his feet on the ground just a few moments later.

Resting against a tree to try and get his balance back, he asked Cyborg, “What happened?”

“It just disappeared! One second it was running through the trees, and the next, it was just gone!”

“What do you mean, ‘just gone?’” Raven queried.

“It was freaky, man,” Beast Boy chimed in. “It was like it walked into a tree. Like there was door we couldn’t see or somethin’.”

“So it just…vanished?” Robin was finally back to himself again.

“That’s what we’re sayin’.” Cyborg crossed his arms.

“What tree was it?” Raven floated just outside the perimeter of the rest of the team, inspecting the trees.

Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other. “Uhhhhh…”

Raven rolled her eyes and pressed her hand to the tree that Robin had been leaning against. She pulled it back suddenly, looking intently at the Boy Wonder before turning and pressing her hand to another tree. “There is some kind of weird magic going on around here…”

Robin had missed Raven’s glare. “What do you mean, Raven?”

Raven paused. “I’m not sure. It’s a little like what I feel from Beast Boy when he morphs, but more…primal. Like it’s acting totally out of instinct.”

“Dude, you feel me when I morph?”

Raven sighed. “Your morphing creates a lot of metaphysical energy. It’s hard for me _not_ to feel it.”

“What do you think we should do?” Robin asked, stopping Beast Boy in mid “Dude!”

Raven shook her head. “It’s probably still here in one form or another. If I meditate, I may be able to find it.”

“Okay,” Robin started, all business again. “There’s a clearing near here. Let’s set up a base there. Raven can meditate, and Cyborg and I will watch her back and see if we can’t set up something of a camp. Beast Boy, Starfire, take to the air and see what you can find. Everybody stay in touch via communicator.” Nods were exchanged, Beast Boy morphed into an eagle, and the team went their separate ways.

\--

Starfire’s eyes were on the forest below her, but her mind was miles away. Or perhaps more precisely, it was down there among the trees with Robin. He had kissed her! And not the tentative touch of lips that she had anticipated their first kiss to be. No, this was the kiss of a…a _revoleth_. Starfire did not know the Earth word for it. It meant someone with whom you enjoyed a passionate physical relationship with, as well as a very special friendship.

Friendship wasn’t the right word either. She wasn’t sure if there was even a Tamaranian word for it. She just knew that her feelings toward Robin were very different than the feelings she had toward her other friends.

Not that she had a lot of experience in the matter. She had been courted somewhat on Tamaran before she left, but it had never progressed past the hand-holding stage. On Tamaran, there was a very established order in which things happened, and she had been schooled in them very early. When the person you were being courted by took the next step, and you accepted it (or vice versa), there was another word for what your relationship was. Here on Earth, “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” had been the only terms she had heard, and they seemed all-encompassing. How un-descriptive. Perhaps there was no Earth word for _revoleth_. But on Tamaran, it was the last step before marriage, and often, it was not reached until afterwards. For Robin to skip so many steps…. Did he wish to marry her? Or perhaps to…to _xioykrw_ with her? She did not know the Earth word for that either.

Starfire stopped mid-flight. She had desired to begin the courting process with Robin nearly from the moment she had met him, and he had finally consented to the beginning steps not long ago. But he had been so tentative; she was always the one that did the pushing forward, and he often held back. While she desired for things to move a bit faster, she knew she was not ready for the steps he seemed to want to take now. What to do…?

“Starfire, Beast Boy,” Robin’s voice crackled over the communicator. “We may have made some progress down here. Head back, and we’ll discuss our next move.”

Discuss. Robin had said that they would have to talk about what happened. She wholeheartedly agreed. Quelling her fears for the moment, she headed back toward the clearing.

\--

“The creature is here,” Raven said as the others listened. Robin and Cyborg had created something of campsite in the clearing, with a firepit in the center with a couple of logs pulled near it as seating. Two shelters had been built out of branches on the other side of the firepit.

Raven continued. “It’s almost as if the creature has dissipated throughout the forest. I do not sense it in any one place, but all around us.”

“So there’s no way to track it,” Robin observed.

“Not in its present form, no.”

Cyborg exhaled noisily. “We should probably stay here to head it off if it decides to head back towards town.”

Robin nodded. “That’s the plan. There’s still some daylight left; we should probably use what’s left of it to look for some firewood and set up camp. As for food, I have a few power bars in my utility belt, but it won’t be enough for all of us.” He paused, regarding his teammates. “Beast Boy, why don’t you head back to the tower and bring back enough for tonight and tomorrow morning?”

“And bring back some blankets. It’s going to be cold tonight,” Cyborg put in.

“Good thinking. And Beast Boy,” Robin stopped him just as he was leaving the clearing. “Bring something other than tofu.”

“You guys don’t know what you’re missing,” Beast Boy commented as he turned back into an eagle and took off toward the tower.

The next hour and a half were spent gathering firewood near the clearing. Raven was insistent that they only gather dead wood; something told her that cutting any trees would anger the creature, so the task had become much more complicated than Cyborg’s original plan of just felling a tree with one of his many cutting tools.

Starfire and Robin cast a few uncertain looks at each other, but spoke to each other only when necessary. Raven watched them out of the corner of her eye; those two were acting even weirder than normal.

Beast Boy arrived just as the sun was setting with a blanket for each of them, a 12-pack of water bottles, the makings for bean sprout sandwiches and waffle mix.

“Did you bother to bring the waffle iron?” Cyborg questioned.

“Uh….”

“You dope! How are we supposed to make waffles without a waffle iron?”

“We could make _glorphka_ cakes,” Starfire suggested. “They are commonly cooked on stones on my world.”

Cyborg eyed her for a minute. “Well, I could try making pancakes that way. We’ll see come morning.” He continued to inspect the food. “Bean sprouts! You couldn’t have brought any bologna?”

“It’ll do,” Robin interrupted Cyborg’s rant. “The sun is setting. We should eat quickly and try to get as much sleep as possible. We’ll have to take watches.” He pondered his watch a moment. “I figure about an hour and a half apiece should get us to sunrise. Any volunteers for first?”

“I will go first, Robin,” Starfire replied after a moment.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Great. I’ll go next. Then…Cyborg?”

“Anytime, man.”

“Beast Boy?”

“Oh….okay.”

“Raven? I know you usually get up early…”

“That’ll be fine.”

The order established, Starfire took to the sky to keep an eye on the camp. The others huddled inside the shelters, trying to sleep.

\--

Starfire returned at the allotted time to find Robin dozing in front of the fire. She put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped. “Robin, it is only me, Starfire. It is time for your watch.”

Robin shook his head. “Okay. Try and get some sleep, Star.” He reached out to squeeze her hand before heading for the edge of the clearing and pulling out a small satellite receiver.

Starfire pondered his form in the dim light. Now was not the time for this discussion, he would no doubt say. She frowned. It had been a long and tiring day. Perhaps he was right; she should try to sleep.

\--

Robin returned from his watch, woke Cyborg, and returned to his spot by the fire to try and get some more rest. As he was rearranging his blanket, he noticed Starfire curled up behind the log, dozing fitfully, but without a blanket. He knitted his brow. Why would she be there? And with no blanket?

He sat on the log and contemplated her form. She did not seem to be sleeping very peacefully. No doubt that was his fault. Why in heaven’s name did he kiss her? And like that? Robin mentally kicked himself.

He was somewhat relieved to see that the marks that he had left on her shoulders had disappeared. In noticing that, he also saw that there was gooseflesh on her bare skin. Without bothering to think about it, he went to get his blanket to cover her.

As he laid it over her, she awoke with a start. “Shhh…Star. It’s only me. Why are you sleeping behind the log like this?”

“I require almost total darkness to sleep. The light from the fire was too bright inside of the shelter.”

“Why don’t you have a blanket?”

“Beast Boy is…” she mulled over the word for a moment. “’hogging’ them.”

Robin glanced over his shoulder to where Beast Boy, morphed into a bear, slept with three blankets covering him. Robin frowned. “You’ll freeze out here, Star. Take my blanket.”

“But will you not then freeze?”

“I’ll be fine by the fire.”

“I do not believe you will. It is indeed very cold out here. Perhaps we could share?”

“Starfire, I…”

“And perhaps we could talk about your kissing me?”

Robin slid down behind the log, defeated. “You’re right, we should clear this up.”

Starfire lifted the blanket up, looking at him expectantly. “Please,” she said. “I do not wish for you to be cold.”

Every voice in his head screamed at Robin to just stay out there and shiver, but a cold breeze ruffled the trees and caused his teeth to chatter. He’d get sick if he stayed out here. Sucking in a breath, he crawled in next to her, staying as far away from her as possible and being very careful not to touch her.

He looked into her emerald green eyes for a long moment, unsure what to say. Before he could find something, she started.

“Robin, I am confused. You have been so reluctant to show affection for me, and yet today, you kissed me as a _revoleth_ would. Does this mean that you wish to _xioykrw_ with me?”

Robin stuttered. She was so direct. “ _Xio…xioykrw?_ ”

“It means…the only translation I can think of is ‘to perform the act of mating,’ but it really means so much more than that.”

Robin’s eyes went wide behind his mask. “M…mating?” His voice cracked, something it had not done in years. “No, no, Star, I, no. I’m not ready for that. It’s not you, I just…I’m not ready.”

“Then why did you kiss me that way?”

Robin heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. My adrenaline was rushing, and you were holding me in your arms, and….and…it just seemed the thing to do.”

“Then you do not wish to…what would the Earth word be?”

Robin cleared his throat. He knew this was going to be hard, but he didn’t think it was going to be this hard. “Um, well, there’s lots of terms for it. But you probably mean something like ‘making love.’”

Starfire seemed to digest that for a moment. “Yes, that is a good translation. You do not wish to make love with me?”

Without realizing it, Robin reached out to touch her, running his fingertips over her cheek. “No. Like I said, I’m not ready.”

Starfire released a breath. “I am not ready either.”

Whew. That was a relief. But.. “Would we even be able to…I mean…is your anatomy the same…how do they do it on Tamaran?”

Starfire blinked. “How do they do it on Earth?”

Robin gulped. “Well, since we both said we weren’t ready, let’s put that question off for another day.” He smiled hopefully at her.

She smiled back, dropping her eyelids shyly. “On my world, courting is very measured. One would never kiss another the way you kissed me unless he wanted to ‘make love’ with her.”

“But Star, you kissed me back.”

Starfire bit her lip. “I did. At that moment, it seemed like the right thing to do. Perhaps my adrenaline rushed as well.” She looked at him with the familiar question in her eyes.

Robin smiled. “Perhaps.”

They fell into silence for a long moment, neither sure what to say next. The wind whistled through the trees again, causing them both to shiver. Instinctively, they huddled closer together, Robin slipping an arm around her waist.

His face was less than an inch from hers. God, he wanted to kiss her again. He heaved a sigh. He had opened the door this afternoon, but maybe he should usher her through before he went in himself. “So, Star, on your world, what would be our next step, if I hadn’t kissed you this afternoon?”

Starfire smiled brightly. “It would be this.” She gathered him up in her arms, pressed her cheek to his, and fluttered her eyelashes against his skin.

“Hey, that tickles!”

“It is the _sirkah_ , the eyelash kiss. It is a sign of great affection between family, close friends, and potential _bicuia_.”

“ _Bicuia?_ ”

“It is an earlier step in the courting process.”

“So…what would make us _bicuia?_ ”

She pressed her lips together uncertainly, and then tentatively touched them to his, letting her eyes flutter shut for the briefest of moments before drawing back to search his face for acceptance.

Robin felt his respiration increase a bit. Before he could think about it, he spoke his desire. “Do that again; I wasn’t ready.”

The corners of Starfire’s mouth quirked up and she kissed him again, a bit more firmly this time. Robin happily returned the affection, pulling her closer into his embrace.

Starfire broke the kiss at just the right moment, before Robin’s hormones got the better of him. “Does this mean that I am ‘the girlfriend?’”

Robin smiled, somewhat relieved. “Yes, Star. You’re my girlfriend.”

“Oh glorious day!” Starfire squeezed him in a crushing hug, and started to float off the ground.

Extricating himself from her grip, Robin pulled her back down. “Cut that out.”

“I cannot help it; you fill me with so much joy, and flight is powered by joy.”

“Yeah, well,” Robin heaved a sigh. “This might not make you so joyful. You are my girlfriend Star, and I do really care about you, but I think it would be best if we kept this under our hats for the time being, even from the other Titans.”

“But Robin, I do not wear a hat.”

Robin smiled patiently. “I mean, we shouldn’t tell anyone.”

“But Robin, on my world _bicuias_ share their joy with everyone.”

“I know. But, this isn’t Tamaran. Our enemies have tried to use the friendships the team has for each other against us before, and if they knew that you and I had something more, they’d try all that much harder. The fewer people who know, the better.” He squeezed her arm slightly. “Star, if anything ever happened to you…”

“Your heart would be broken?” She finished for him.

“Exactly.”

Starfire chewed on her lip again. “I do not wish for your heart to be broken. And my heart would break should anything ever happen to you. I shall ‘keep this under my hat’ as best I can.”

“Thanks Star.” He pulled her in for a hug and suppressed a giggle as he felt her flutter her eyelashes against him again.

They held each like that for several minutes, just enjoying the newfound peace in their relationship. Robin was pondering kissing her ear when she whispered into his, “Perhaps we should get some sleep?”

He pulled away from her a bit. “You’re right. Good night, Star.”

Starfire pressed her lips to his for the briefest of moments before smiling at him and rolling to face the log. “Good night, Robin.”

 _Standard Disclaimer: DC Comic characters aren't mine.  Darn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for ya today, just to really kick the story off. A few notes; I started this before Season 4 ended, so all that stuff about acquiring language through lip contact and all of the events of Trouble in Tokyo hadn't happened yet. In my world, they never did


	3. Like in the Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Starfire adjust to the new stage in their relationship, while Raven and Cyborg start to suspect something...

The sun was just cresting the hill as Raven returned from her watch. It had been a frustrating patrol. While she was not able to meditate as she was keeping her eyes and ears open, she had tried to concentrate on the strange magic the creature had created. She'd had almost no luck; every time she tried to reach out, her senses were bombarded by them. Robin and Starfire. She'd sensed their roiling emotions for each other before, but she'd always been able to ignore it. It had been stronger recently, but tonight it blared like a foghorn. It was almost impossible to sense anything else.

She floated silently into the brightening clearing, looking for some clue to what had changed. She did not expect anything as blatant as she found.

Starfire and Robin were huddled together under a blanket behind one of the logs. They both faced the same direction. And even though she could only see their heads and shoulders, Raven was certain Robin's arm was around Starfire's waist.

Raven started as she heard Cyborg yawn noisily. "Shhhh," she hissed at him, floating over. "Robin and Starfire are still asleep."

"So's BB, but that ain't stoppin' me." Cyborg jerked a thumb in the green bear's direction.

"That's different. Come here, you need to see this. And be quiet." Raven floated back toward the log and indicated their slumbering teammates.

The pair had snuggled even closer together. Robin's chin rested on Starfire's shoulder and her face was turned toward his.

Cyborg's real eye went wide. "Holy…"

Raven slapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him several yards away. "You don't think they…" Cyborg managed to whisper.

Raven shook her head. "No. I defiantly would have felt that."

Cyborg wrinkled his nose. "You can feel it when people have sex?"

Raven glared at him from beneath her cowl. "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

"Dudes, what are we talkin' about?" Beast Boy, returned to his human form, wandered over.

"Shhhhh!" They both hissed at him.

Beast Boy frowned and repeated his question at a whisper. In answer, Cyborg jerked his chin in the log's direction. "Star and Robin are asleep behind that log. No, don't go look." He grabbed Beast Boy's arm as he took a step in that direction.

"What's the big deal?" Beast Boy wanted to know. "It was cold last night. They probably just huddled together for warmth."

Raven and Cyborg looked at each other. "Maybe," Raven said, exhaling noisily through her nostrils. "But I doubt it."

Before they were able to discuss it further, their attention was again drawn in the direction of the log as Starfire's cheery "Friends! A glorious good morning to you!" broke the quiet they were trying to keep.

They turned to find her floating above the log, smiling at them expectantly. Robin had emerged as well, sitting up behind the log, his hair thoroughly mussed and a sheepish look on his face.

Beast Boy snickered. Cyborg whacked across the back of his head. "Ow! Hey! What'd I do?"

Robin stepped over the log and strode the few steps over to join his friends, Starfire trailing closely behind. "Anything to report from last night?"

"Zippo," Beast Boy replied.

Robin looked at Cyborg and Raven, receiving slight head shakes from them. "Okay. Well, let's get something to eat and see…"

"What were you doing sleeping behind the log like that?" Cyborg cut him off. Raven snorted; she had wanted to be discreet about this.

Robin's expression did not change, but they all noticed his ears turn red. "It was cold last night. We huddled together for warmth."

"I told ya!" Beast Boy put in.

Cyborg ignored him. "Behind the log?"

"I require darkness for sleep. The light from the fire was too bright inside of the shelters," Starfire put in.

"Right." Cyborg obviously didn't believe her.

"It's the truth!" Robin's voice had a hard edge to it.

Raven could just smell the testosterone flowing through the veins of the two boys as they stared each other down. She searched for a way to break the tension. Thankfully, Starfire provided her with one.

"Friends! Should we not break the fast and work on finding a way to locate this creature we have been tracking?"

"She's right." Raven inserted herself between Robin and Cyborg. "You two can argue about this later."

"There's nothing to argue about," Robin said, stepping back and crossing his arms. "But the girls are right; we need to find this thing before it decides to head back towards town."

Cyborg's shoulders visibly relaxed as he turned toward Raven. "Have you been able to feel anything from it?"

She shook her head. "No. Maybe I can try again now that things…" She stopped herself. She was going to say "are somewhat back to normal" but knew that would just start another round of arguing. "Now that it's light," she finished.

Robin gave a short nod. "Okay. You try to meditate, and we'll see about making breakfast. C'mon guys." He walked over to inspect what food was left. "Oh, and Beast Boy? Next time we camp out, morph yourself into something that only needs one blanket."

"Sorry Dude. I was cold."

Raven crossed her legs and assumed her meditation pose. Before she began, however, she watched the rest of team through slitted eyes. She saw Robin and Starfire cast a few glances at each other, but mostly things seemed all business. "Hopefully that will be enough," she thought as she closed her eyes. "Azarath Metrion Zynthos…"

As the senses she shared with everyone else faded away, the emotions of those around her brightened in her mind. The ADHD fluctuations of Beast Boy and the calming go-get-'em attitude of Cyborg were quickly noted and pushed aside. Starfire's general cheeriness seemed brighter than usual, but preoccupied with a task, the blast she had been sending had dimmed to the point that it could be ignored. Robin's normally very measured presence seemed rather excited, but it had calmed down considerably from last night. Still, it was a strange mixture of happiness and confusion. Raven deliberated over him for a few moments. Yes, something had happened. He seemed…as if he'd finally gotten something he'd been waiting for. Raven decided that she would have to watch this.

Moving on to the task at hand, Raven did her best to concentrate not on her friends, but on the forest surrounding her. The ever-alert almost-fear of squirrels, mice, and rabbits came into view and were passed over. A few birds also made themselves visible. She stretched further, and was even able to identify a beehive not far from the clearing. But the creature, the angry mass she had felt yesterday, was nowhere to be found. Even the dissipation she had felt had disappeared. It had been replaced by the business of the forest and the shifting emotions of her teammates

TtTtTtT

After Raven's report that she could no longer feel the creature, the Titans cleaned up the camp and headed back toward the tower, but not before Robin set several sensors around the perimeter of the forest.

"I think I'll go scrape the forest out of my gears," Cyborg commented as they entered the tower shortly before mid-day.

"A shower sounds like a good idea," Raven added, floating toward the bathroom that was in the bedroom wing.

"Food!" Beast Boy dove toward the kitchen. Cyborg's would-be glorphka/pancakes had been a runny mess, and none of them had had a very good breakfast.

"Should we also supplement our morning nourishment, bicuia Robin?"

Raven stopped at the end of the hall before turning the corner. Bicuia? This was a Tamaranian word she hadn't heard before. Of course, she didn't keep the greatest track, but still, something in Starfire's tone was different. Raven glanced over her shoulder to see Robin scratching the back of his neck, something she'd seen him do before when he was nervous.

"Lunch does sound like a good idea," he was saying. "But Star, let's skip the bicuia part, okay?"

Starfire's smile faded a little. "Very well."

Robin took Starfire's hand. "C'mon. I'll make you a banana and sardine sandwich."

"Delicious!"

Raven watched them head toward the kitchen, entwined hands clearly visible. She rounded the corner, contemplating what this meant for the two of them, and for the team.

TtTtTtT

The rest of the day passed in relative normalcy: if anyone had noticed Robin and Starfire holding hands, no one mentioned it. After lunch, Cyborg and Robin played one-on-one, Starfire tended her garden, and Beast Boy did acrobatics and made grunting noises at the video game machine as he attempted to improve his score.

Raven sat at the back of the common room, pretending to read a book. Beast Boy's antics were distracting enough, but she couldn't help thinking about Robin and Starfire. If they had finally confessed their feelings to one another, Raven actually felt something like happiness about it. The two had been dancing around each other almost as long as Starfire had been here. And Robin was not the happiest guy on the planet, that was for sure. If Starfire could bring a little joy to his life, great. Part of her was a little jealous, too. There was a little teeny bit of her that actually fawned over Robin, but mostly, she was jealous that they were able to have those kinds of feelings for each other. She would never be able to allow herself to feel anything that intense.

But she also worried that it would change the way the team functioned as a unit. If Robin's attentions were more focused on Starfire then the rest of them, would things fall apart?

Only time would tell.

TtTtTtT

That evening, the team decided to watch a movie. Cyborg popped three huge bowls of popcorn. He kept one for himself and put the other two on the table. Beast Boy quickly scooped up one of them and sat himself on the floor, shoving handfuls of it into his mouth. The other three Titans eyed the remaining bowl.

"You two take it," Raven said. "I don't really want any."

"Are you sure?" Robin asked. "I could get some more bowls."

"It's fine." Raven settled into the corner of the couch.

Robin shrugged. "Suit yourself." He picked up the remaining bowl and sat down.

"May I share the popped corn with you, Robin?" Starfire floated next to the couch.

"Sure." Robin smiled up at her and patted the seat next to him. "There's no way I'll eat all of this anyway."

Starfire beamed one of her electric smiles and perched on the couch next to him.

Raven watched them, trying to look like she wasn't. This kind of scenario went on almost every movie night; Raven wasn't sure whether Robin was being more solicitous than usual or not.

The movie that evening was Return to Me, a sweet romantic comedy about a man who loses his wife, only to find out later that his wife's heart has been transplanted into the woman he starts to date later on. Cyborg and Beast Boy made obnoxious comments throughout the entire thing, Raven sat impassively, as she always did, Starfire cried at several points, and Robin sat there with a stupid grin through most of it, at least when he wasn't handing Starfire tissues or patting her knee.

Cyborg punched the light switch as the credits started to roll. "Who picked this movie?"

"Yeah, that was the chickest chick flick I've ever seen!" Beast Boy declared.

"I did," Raven replied.

The four other Titans stared at her.

"I was in the mood for something…light." In truth, she'd had an ulterior motive: she'd wanted to see how Robin and Starfire would react to such a blatantly romantic movie. The results were far from conclusive, and honestly, she'd been paying too much attention to the movie to really pay attention to Robin and Starfire. She'd never admit it to any of them, but she'd actually liked it. "What did you think, Robin?"

Robin shrugged. "It was okay. I've seen better."

"I found it most enjoyable, Friend Raven," Starfire cooed. "Thank you."

Raven favored Starfire with a small smile, then decided to roll the dice again. "I think I'll turn in. Training bright and early tomorrow, right Robin?"

"Right. Turning in sounds like a good idea for everyone." Robin started to gather up the remains of the popcorn and rebuffed Cyborg when he offered to help.

"Whatever turns your crank, man. 'Niters everyone."

Beast Boy popped a few errant pieces of popcorn into his mouth and bounded after Cyborg. "I love popcorn, but now I gotta floss."

"Well, just remember to throw the used floss away this time. That stuff is nasty," Cyborg's reply sounded from beyond the doorway.

Raven had already floated past the doorway on the other side of the room, but had gone no further. She heard Starfire yawn and stretch. "It has indeed been a long day. I believe I shall do the turning in myself."

Raven didn't see Starfire squeeze Robin's hand and kiss his cheek as she said, "Good night, Robin." Nor did she see Robin's shy smile as he looked into Starfire's eyes and return the salutation. She did feel the warmth of affection pass between them, but frowned. Was it really all that different from what she'd felt before? She continued to ponder it as she entered her room.

TtTtTtT

Robin picked up the popcorn bowls and put them in the dishwasher. He cleaned up the worst of the wayward popcorn, figuring Cyborg would get the rest of it when he did his weekly cleaning ritual. "A clean tower is a happy tower!" he'd always say. It was a little too funny, but at least he kept the place from turning into a pigsty.

Robin switched off the lights and took two steps toward his room before he stopped. Maybe he should….nah, it was just that silly movie. But then, wasn't that what a boyfriend was supposed to do?

Clenching a fist, Robin realized he didn't care about convention. Even so, he wanted to do this. He turned on his heel and headed toward Starfire's room.

Upon arriving at her door, he looked up and down the hall and behind him, as well as listening to the relative silence for several seconds before rapping quietly on the door.

The door opened, and Starfire stood there in her skimpy little pink nightgown. Robin swallowed hard. "Robin, is something the matter?"

Forcing himself to look into her eyes, he replied, "No, I just wanted to wish you good night."

"But have you not already done so?"

Robin felt his feet start to turn cold. Why was this so hard? "Well, here on Earth….it's like in the movie…." The words caught in his throat.

Starfire looked back at him expectantly, blinking those beautiful eyes of hers a few times.

A man of action and not of words, Robin finally gave up and put a hand behind her head to guide her into the kiss he came here to give her.

Starfire's initial surprise quickly turned to delight as she threw her arms around his neck and happily kissed him back, her feet leaving the floor.

Robin stepped back and licked his lips as he felt her pulling him unknowingly into her room. Did she use cherry flavored toothpaste? They smiled happily at each other. "Good night, Starfire."

Robin's arms matched the tingling on his lips as Starfire trailed her fingers down them as he took another step back. "Good night, Robin," she replied as the door slid between them.

Robin drew a deep breath, let his eyes drift shut and enjoyed the fading tingling on his lips and arms.

"Dude!" Robin's trance disappeared faster than Beast Boy's popcorn. He spun to find the green changeling standing in the bathroom door, his mouth foamy and his toothbrush dangling between his fingers.

"What?" Robin demanded.

"Starfire kissed you!"

"So? Starfire kisses everybody. Hasn't she ever kissed you?"

"Not like that, dude. You were kissing her as much as she was kissing you."

Robin set his jaw, fighting down the mix of embarrassment and defense that welled in his throat. "Good night, Beast Boy," he managed between clenched teeth as he headed back toward his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this one; for me, it's where the story really starts. Not too much fluff this time, but more to come, I promise! BTW, Return to Me is a real movie starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It's a total chick flick, but a sweet and funny one. A good date movie. Watch it with your bicuia!


End file.
